Melting pot stirs "We Are the World Cup" in Clarkston

Print
E-mail

By Michelle Hiskey

For the AJC

The World Cup hinges on international borders, and soccer games, by the edge of a single point.

Enlarge photo

11-year-old Abdi Abdi ( center in orange) screams "No" as Slovenia scores one of its two goals during the US vs. Slovenia soccer game. He was watching with Yosef Medhin, 11, (blue shirt) and Remon Temnowo, 14, (center in green) during a gathering of around 60 children as they watch the 2010 World Cup at the Clarkston Community Center Friday morning.

Jason Getz, jgetz@ajc.com 11-year-old Abdi Abdi ( center in orange) screams "No" as Slovenia scores one of its two goals during the US vs. Slovenia soccer game. He was watching with Yosef Medhin, 11, (blue shirt) and Remon Temnowo, 14, (center in green) during a gathering of around 60 children as they watch the 2010 World Cup at the Clarkston Community Center Friday morning.

Latest Georgia sports news »

At Clarkston Community Center, limits of geography and sports tumble during telecasts of Cup games, amid the energetic shouts of kids who are or will be first-generation Americans.

As the minutes ticked down to the start of the United States-Slovenia match last week, Shell Ramirez’s cellphone buzzes and buzzes.

“Is it on?” a kid asks. “Is it starting?” another wants to know.

Ramirez, who got the rear-projection screen installed and Comcast to sponsor the feed, says yes.

Within minutes kids start to trickle in, pile onto the pillows on the floor, as the game begins.

Sudan, Angola, Burundi are in the house, so are Ethiopia, Somalia and Burma. Many kids are from the free day camp onsite, sponsored by Friends of Refugees. They would be on the soccer field if they weren’t here.

“I would rather watch it here,” said Solomon Luoma, 16, of Sudan, drawn to the energy of the crowd. “When I am home it’s more quiet and not a lot of people, and I just watch with peace.”

The majority of the audience is minorities, pulled together by soccer, collectively shortening the 8,400 miles to Johannesburg. The countries they left behind are mostly too poor or not peaceful enough to field World Cup teams.

So except for the pair from Bosnia and Russia who formed a solid Eastern European bloc for Slovenia, the room cheered, with some frustration, for the United States.

“I don’t play soccer,” said Asha Lugundi, 11, of Somalia. “I hope U.S.A. wins.”

When Slovenia scores, a huge groaning “Oh!!!!!” sounds through the room, the negative echo of the “Goalllll!” call.

Opio Lopai holds his head in his hands, closes his eyes and shakes as if the worst news ever just hit him.

These kids are, in more than one way, all over the map in their allegiances, tastes and what matters.

Opio, 9, from Uganda, was asked where his best friend is from. He looked, stumped, at the boy next to him, Ibrahim Kennedy, 9, who replied, “From Atlanta!”

“My favorite sports are football and basketball,” Ibrahim said. “I like Nate Robinson and Messi,” the latter being, for the soccerophobes, the famous forward from Argentina.

“Messi! I like his speed and finishing,” said Yosef Medhin, 11, whose parents are Eritrean. His favorite foods are his mom’s injera bread -- and hot dogs.

“We are the World Cup” is the slogan for communal viewings of the tournament that hearken to the “show houses” in African villages and other spots where televisions are scarce but the passion for soccer surges.

In Ethiopia, “We watched World Cup on black-and-white TVs,” said Daniel Fikreyesus, 37, who came to the States 19 years ago. “Back then it was more of a community event; not everyone had a TV. Here, everyone has a TV, and that community feeling has been missing. That’s what we’re trying to get back here.”

The old way of watching merged with a fresh audience. At age 16 and younger, these kids barely remember previous World Cups, or the country their parents came from. Many were born here, and think of themselves as Americans first. Among the snacks for sale: Cracker Jack.

As the game progresses, and the U.S. team mounts a comeback, the noise and bodies increase. The kids are soon joined by adults distracted from celebrating World Refugee Day down the hall.

One could get a flu shot, turn around and see a penalty shot. One could watch the Bhutanese Artists of Georgia in a beautiful dance or simply catch the beautiful game.

The room buzzes, another layer of sound on top of the stadium vuvuzuelas. For Ramirez, an Atlanta native, this equates with being there.

“I never watched soccer in another country until I started working with refugees,” said Ramirez, who brought her kids, Dante, 11, and Mia, 9, to the showing. “Soccer’s their language.”

About 8,000 immigrants pass through the 1.2 square miles around the community center each year, Ramirez said. Clarkston’s 15 apartment complexes are the first stop for refugees seeking resettlement, making Georgia the fourth largest destination in the United States for refugees.

“This is one of the most diverse square miles in the United States,” said center director McKenzie Wren. “The [Cup] games are a bridge-building experiences for all of Clarkston.”

The showings, which are also sponsored by Decatur-DeKalb Y, Soccer in the Streets, and Chick-fil-A, are open to everyone. Anyone who wants to experience the games in an international setting is invited.

AJC Marketplace

Smart Shopping
starts here!
This week's inserts | Today's Deals | Grocery Coupons